Tables Turned
by stormy.grace
Summary: My first try at writing a fan fiction. It picks up where the S3 finale left off. As far as the girls finding Cece in the trunk, I'm not really sure if that's what I think really happened but it made sense to me. If I made any mistakes with the details please let me know. I've only watched the episode once and my memory was a little fuzzy on a few things.
1. Chapter 1

Aria couldn't sleep. It was two in the morning and her friends were all sound asleep by now in Spencer's room. Mona included. But Aria couldn't get her brain to turn off after everything that had happened in the last few days.

Spencer had joined the A Team and had basically kidnapped Malcolm so that the girls would figure out that she was part of the A Team. Toby wasn't dead. Ali was Red Coat. Jason was still missing after the elevator incident. She, along with Hanna, Emily, and Mona had almost died in a burning building tonight. They would have if Ali hadn't dragged them all out. Shana was working with Jenna and Melissa. Wilden was probably part of it. Mona was on their side now. And to top it all off, they had found Cece's lifeless body stuffed in the trunk of Wilden's car.

That, of course, had led to another trip to the police station. Before they had called the police though, they had put the video on Spencer's phone and erased it from the car. No one had mentioned the fact that she and Hanna had pushed the car into the lake. No one had mentioned that Cece may have been in the trunk when they did it. No one mentioned that she might have still been alive at the time.

Aria sat in Spencer's living room with a cup of tea while all these thoughts raced through her head. The room was dark and the house was silent. She heard a creak on the stairs and jumped, waiting to see who it was.

"Aria?" Mona whispered. "Are you down here?"

Aria let out the breath she had been holding. "Yeah. I couldn't sleep."

"Me either." Mona walked over and sat across from Aria on the couch. "Is there anymore tea?"

"Yeah. I'll make you some." Aria got up and walked into the kitchen, thinking that it should be weird that Mona was here. But it wasn't. She wondered if anything would ever surprise her again after all of this was over. If it ever ended.

There was a rustling noise outside and she told herself it was only the wind until the knob on the back door turned. She froze and then slowly reached for a knife.

"Aria?" Mona called, sensing something was wrong.

Aria shushed her and tried to see who was on the other side of the door, but it was too dark. Her heart was in her throat as the door slowly opened and someone came in. Someone wearing a black hoodie.

"Who are you?" Aria demanded, speaking the first words that came into her head.

Toby stepped out of the shadows with his hands up. "It's just me Aria. Put the knife down."

She breathed another sigh of relief and laid the knife on the counter. "Toby, you scared me half to death."

"Sorry." He apologized.

"What are you doing here?" Mona asked, coming to stand beside Aria.

Toby pushed the hood off his head, revealing his face. "I came to make sure you girls are all okay. Where is everyone?"

"They're upstairs asleep." Mona said.

"We're fine." Aria assured him. "As fine as we can be anyway. Of course, I'm going to have a heart attack if you people don't stop sneaking up on me like that."

They heard someone coming down the stairs and Toby quickly and quietly snuck back out the door. The light came on and Aria and Mona found themselves facing Spencer's mom.

"Girls?" Veronica said. "What are you doing down here? I thought you were all asleep?"

"We couldn't sleep." Aria said. "We came down for some tea."

"I heard someone down here and I thought somebody had broken in." Veronica said, her face showing her relief at finding only Aria and Mona in the kitchen. Though, unlike Aria and the rest of the girls, she found it a little odd that Mona was here after everything she had put them through.

"We didn't mean to scare you Mrs. Hastings." Mona said.

"You girls try and get some sleep." Veronica said. "I'm going back to bed."

As soon as Veronica was out of sight, Mona opened the back door to see if Toby was still there but there was no sign of him.

Aria put the knife back where it belonged and went back to fixing Mona a cup of tea.

"Look Aria," Mona said. "I know you may not believe this, but I am really sorry for everything I did to you."

Aria only looked at her, not sure how to respond.

It made Mona uncomfortable. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. Really. After tonight I don't know what's going on anymore."

"None of us do." Aria said. "We're all confused, Mona."

"I thought I knew what was going on. Other than not knowing who Red Coat was, I pretty much knew all of it." Mona said. "Now I don't know who to trust."

Aria handed her the cup and sat back down on the chaise lounge. "After tonight I don't think you have much choice but to trust us."

"I do." Mona sipped her tea. "I guess I get to see what it feels like to be A's toy now."

"It's not fun." Aria said. "You tortured us, but I think it actually made us stronger."

Mona nodded. "It did. I could tell over time that you were figuring things out. I had to work harder to get to you."

"Who else is part of the A Team?" Aria asked.

"As far as I know it was just Toby and I. And Spencer." Mona said. "And Alison. But there could be more. Like I said, I don't know everything. I thought I did."

Both girls were silent for a while, Aria playing with the ends of her hair, and Mona sipping her tea. It occurred to Aria that it would have been easy to slip a little poison into the cup and very few people would have blamed her for it.

"You should call him." Mona said suddenly.

Aria looked at her. "What?"

"Ezra." Mona clarified. "I know why you broke up with him."

"No, you don't." Aria said.

"I understand that you did it to keep Malcolm safe. I would have too." Mona said. "But he was never in any real danger. Spencer had him."

Aria licked her lips. "Mona, we're all in real danger every second of every day. You know what A is capable of. You know what you did to us. And now we don't even know if it's really A messing with us. Ali is Red Coat. I broke up with Ezra because I love him too much to put him in danger, or his son, or even Maggie."

Mona leaned forward, her face completely serious. "Do you really think that just because you broke up with him he'll be safe now? Who ever is behind all of this knows that you still love him and he still loves you. They know that hurting him will still hurt you. Why do you think breaking up with him will stop that?"

Aria realized that Mona was right. Breaking up with Ezra wasn't keeping anyone safe. She didn't respond because she wasn't sure what to say.

"The only way to keep _anyone_ safe is to figure out who is pulling the strings and stop them." Mona continued. "When you cut the head off, the body dies."

Aria suddenly had an odd feeling that maybe they shouldn't trust Mona. She wasn't sure if it was something she had said or the fact that she had done so much to them, but something had her on guard. She no longer felt comfortable sitting here, alone, with Mona. She wasn't so sure about Toby's little visit either.

Why had he disappeared when Mrs. Hastings had come down? All he would have had to do is explain that he was concerned about the girls and had come by to make sure they were all okay. There was nothing suspicious about that.

Why had Mona brought up Ezra? Aria hadn't said anything about him. She may be right about him not being safe, but why was she pointing that out? Had something happened to him? To Malcolm? Maggie?

Or was she just being paranoid? Maybe there was absolutely no reason to suspect that Toby and Mona were up to no good. A had targeted Mona tonight too.

On the other hand, Mona had made them believe that A was after her once before.

She suddenly wanted to get out of the room, away from Mona. She wanted to go back upstairs where she might feel semi-safe with the girls she knew she could trust with her life and her darkest secrets. But was it a smart idea to leave Mona by herself?

She wanted to get away from Mona.

She wanted her friends.

She wanted Ezra.


	2. Chapter 2

Mona sensed that Aria was feeling uneasy, but she wasn't sure what to do about it. She wanted the girls to trust her now. She understood that it would be a difficult goal to achieve after everything she had put them through, but she had to get them to believe that she really was on their side now. She now longer had the upper hand. She had to get them to truly let her in or she would be on her own, and that couldn't be a good thing.

She finished her tea and got up to rinse her cup and set it in the sink. "Well, I think I'll go back up and try to sleep. Are you coming?"

Aria shook her head. "No. I need to think about some things."

Mona stopped in front of Aria on her way to the stairs. "I'm sorry."

"I know, Mona."

Mona didn't think she really believed it, but it was true. Now that the tables had been turned on her she was scared. She was a target now, just like the rest of them, and she had no idea who was targeting her. She needed them to help her find out. With a sigh she climbed the stairs and slipped back into Spencer's room.

"Where's Aria?"

Mona jumped at Spencer's voice. They had all been asleep when she had gone downstairs wondering the same thing. She closed the door quietly and stepped over Emily. "She's downstairs. We couldn't sleep."

Spencer nodded, but gave her a suspicious look.

"Toby came by." Mona said, drawing Spencer's full attention. "He was worried about us. You girls, at least."

"I'm sure he was checking on you too, Mona." Spencer said.

"He was checking to make sure you were all alright." Mona said. "He was probably checking to make sure I wasn't hurting you."

Spencer sat in bed, Hanna sound asleep beside her, and looked at Mona standing in front of the window. The moonlight shown in behind her. "How is she? Aria."

Mona sat down in the rocking chair Toby had made for Spencer, hoping she wasn't about to be attacked for it, and let out a long breath. "Not good. She's scared and she misses Ezra." She paused to look up at the moon for a moment. "We were having a nice little conversation and all of a sudden something changed. I could tell she wasn't sure about me at first, and then all of a sudden she got suspicious again."

"I wonder why." Spencer said. It was an accusation.

Mona looked back at Spencer. "I know you all still hate me, but I'm on your side now. I have no choice."

"So I guess we just have to find a way to trust you." Spencer said. "After everything you put us through."

"You have no problem trusting Toby again." Mona pointed out.

"It's different." Spencer said.

Mona nodded, understanding. "I want to help you. I need you to trust me."

Spencer stayed quiet for a moment. "We'll figure it all out later. Go to sleep Mona."

With a sigh Mona got up from the chair and went back to her place in the floor, away from the rest of them. She pulled the blanket over herself and listened to Spencer settling back into bed. Emily shifted in her sleep. Hanna whispered Caleb's name. A door opened and shut quietly downstairs. Mona wondered where Aria was going as she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She had to figure out a way to get them to trust her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note – Oh gussie! I'm so excited that you guys are liking my story! Thank you so much for the reviews. I haven't decided if Mona, or even Toby, can be trusted yet so I'm just as curious as y'all are.**

She hadn't been to the Lost Woods Resort since they had found out that A was still out there even though Mona was locked up in Radley. It had always been creepy, but no it was downright eerie. It was closed and deserted. There wasn't a single car outside, other than her own, and not one single light on. The sign wasn't even on.

The text she had received after Mona had gone back upstairs had scared her at first because she thought it was from A. The fact that Mona had left the room made her even more unsure of whether she could be trusted. She had opened the message warily and had been shocked to see who had sent it and what it said.

_I need to talk to you. Meet me at the Lost Woods ASAP._

She was reading it again to make sure she had read it right when someone tapped on her window. She practically jumped out of her skin and screamed. Her heart was racing as she looked up and saw Toby.

"Toby?" she was confused as she climbed out of her car, wondering if she had just walked into a trap. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He replied.

He was still wearing that stupid black hoodie and Aria was contemplating getting back in her car and going back to Spencer's before something bad happened. It was entirely possible that the text had been a trick to get her out of the house.

"Aria," Toby said, stepping closer. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise you can trust me. I only joined the A Team to help keep you girls safe."

She bit her lip as she tried to decide if she could trust him or not. Spencer did, but Spencer had joined the A Team too. But Spencer was her best friend. She looked up at him and, even though it was dark out, she could see the earnestness on his face. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, deciding that she would give Toby a second chance. "Jason texted me. He said he needed to talk to me and asked me to meet him here as soon as I could. I told him I was on my way. Did you follow me?"

Toby nodded. "I saw you leave Spencer's. I wanted to make sure you were safe. You girls really shouldn't go anywhere by yourself."

Aria smiled. "Thanks. I actually feel a lot better with you here."

The light in Room #1 suddenly came on and both Toby and Aria jumped and looked. The door opened and Jason appeared. He motioned for them to come in and they did.

"What are you doing here?" Jason asked, directing his question to Toby.

"Making sure she's safe." Toby replied.

Aria could sense both of their tempers flaring and spoke up. "Jason, why did you ask me to meet you here?"

"I've been staying here." He said. "Hiding."

Toby moved over to the window to keep watch.

Jason sat on the foot of the bed. "I heard about what happened. Are you okay?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah. We're all fine. Are you?"

"For now." Jason said.

"Why did you text me instead of Spencer?" Aria asked. Spencer was his sister. Aria was just her friend that had turned him down.

"The last time I saw Spencer didn't really go over all that well." Jason said, shooting an accusatory look at Toby.

"It wasn't all my fault." Toby said. "I was trying to keep her safe."

"Well you sure have a funny way of doing that." Jason shot back.

"Hey." Aria interrupted, drawing Jason's attention back to her. "How did you hear about what happened tonight? No one's seen or heard from you since you disappeared from the hospital."

"I've been in contact with Caleb. He filled me in."

"Does Hanna know?" Aria asked.

Jason shook his head. "No. Until tonight Caleb is the only one that knew where I was. As far as I know." He glanced at Toby. "Is it okay to talk about this in front of him?"

Aria wondered why he was asking now when Toby was just across the room and had heard everything they had said up to this point. She glanced at Toby and nodded to Jason. "Yeah. We trust him."

"What about Mona?" Jason asked. "Caleb said she went to Spencer's with you."

"She's there, but I honestly don't know if we can trust her or not." Aria said.

Both of them looked to Toby. He shrugged. "I didn't trust her when I was working with her. I don't know about now."

"Whoever tried to kill us tonight tried to kill her too." Aria said. "Ali pulled us all out."

"Ali?" Jason repeated. His voice was full of shock and confusion.

Toby and Aria both looked at him in surprise. He had just said that Caleb had told him about what had happened tonight.

"Didn't Caleb tell you about her?" Aria asked.

"No." Jason said. "All he said was that someone locked the four of you in a burning building and that you found Cece in the trunk of Wilden's car. No one said anything about Ali. What are you talking about? She's dead."

Toby stood up from where he had been leaning against the window sill and folded his arms over his chest. "Hanna filled him in. Maybe she left that out?"

"How could Ali have pulled you out of a burning building?" Jason asked. "She's dead. Her body's in the mausoleum."

Aria shook her head. "Someone's body is. But it's not Ali's. Spencer, Hanna, and Mona all saw her. She's Red Coat."

"Red Coat?" Jason repeated.

"We thought Red Coat was the head of the A Team." Toby said. "None of us knew who she was until tonight."

Jason looked from Toby to Aria. "Are you telling me that Ali has been behind all of this?"

"I have no idea." Aria said. "I didn't see her. All I know is that Spencer, Hanna, and Mona all saw Red Coat tonight and they said it was Ali. We're all just as confused as you are."

"So what do we do?" Jason asked.

They all looked at each other. None of them had an answer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author note – Every time I finish a chapter I think I won't come up with another for a while. Then two seconds later I get an idea. I'm really enjoying writing this and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying reading it! Is this one more ammo for A? We'll see. **

"Should we tell Spencer?" Toby asked as he climbed into the passenger seat of Aria's car.

"About Jason?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She's got to be worried about him."

"He said not to tell anyone." Aria reminded him.

Toby looked over at her. "Do you really want to keep this secret from her?"

"She's my best friend." Aria said as she put the car in drive and left the creepy motel. "I don't want to keep _any_ secret from her."

"Neither do I." Toby said. "Not being able to tell her what I was doing was killing me."

"So what do we do?" Aria asked.

"I don't know."

They drove in silence until they arrived at Toby's apartment. She went in with him because she wasn't ready to go back to Spencer's yet. He offered her a cup of coffee and she accepted, making herself comfortable at the little round kitchen table.

"Spencer said you broke up with Ezra." Toby said, his back to her as he made the coffee.

Aria looked stared at his back for a moment before she answered. "Yeah."

"Because of her taking Malcolm?"

"Mmhm." Aria replied and looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "Partly."

Neither of them said anything until the coffee was finished brewing. Toby asked how she liked it and she answered. He brought two mugs over and sat down across from her, passing her her cup.

She took it and gave him a half smile. "Thanks. You really did a great job with this place."

"Thanks." He replied. "What's the other part?"

"What?"

"Of why you ended things with Ezra." He clarified.

She looked into his friendly, caring blue eyes and realized that she hadn't talked about it with anyone besides Ezra. She also realized that, not only did she want to, she needed to. It occurred to her that she had never really talked to Toby, or even spent any time with him.

"We can talk about something else if you want." He offered.

"It's not the same anymore." She said.

"You and Ezra?"

She nodded. "I still love him as much as I ever did, but it doesn't feel right anymore. Now that Maggie and Malcolm are part of his life. I almost feel like I have to compete with them." She paused to take a sip of coffee. "Besides, I'm not sure I'm ready to basically be a stepmother."

"You've had experience with kids before, haven't you?" Toby asked.

"Yeah, but this is different." She said. "Malcolm isn't just some neighborhood kid I'm babysitting. He's _Ezra's_ kid."

Toby nodded as if he understood. "What do you think would've happened if he hadn't found out about Malcolm?"

Aria looked up and met his eyes. "I honestly have no idea. Part of me thinks that we would've been just fine, but another part thinks this was inevitable."

"Maybe, maybe not." Toby said. "You'll never know."

"Not unless you have some kind of time machine." She said, smiling in spite of her mood.

Toby smiled back. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a really nice smile?"

That made her smile again. It felt good to smile. "No. Thank you."

"What are friends for?"

"Are we friends?" she asked.

Toby shrugged. "Sure."

They fell into a comfortable silence, sitting at the table and drinking coffee. Aria realized that she felt much better after their little chat. She wondered if talking to the girls would have had the same affect. She could see why Emily liked him so much and why Spencer had fallen in love with him. Toby was a good guy. She believed that she could trust him now and she was glad. She needed a guy to talk to now that Ezra was no longer part of her life. Toby was no Ezra, but that was okay. Toby was a good friend.

She pushed her chair back and stood up. "I better get back to Spencer's and try to get a little sleep."

Toby rose and walked her to the door like a gentleman.

She stopped at the door and looked up at him. "Thanks for following me tonight. And for talking with me. I feel a lot better now."

Toby smiled down at her. "Thanks for trusting me."

She smiled back and didn't realize what was happening until his lips were on hers. She was stunned for a second and then started kissing back until they both realized what they were doing and pulled away.

Aria stared at him in shock, seeing the feeling mirrored on his face. Neither of them could believe they had just kissed.

"I better go." She said quickly.

"Yeah." Toby agreed. "Bye."

"Bye." She hurried down the steps and climbed into her car, where se sat for a long moment trying to figure out how that had happened. She finally decided it was just because they were both a little vulnerable after everything that had happened. It meant nothing.

She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and drove back to Spencer's.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author note – I started out thinking I would do this story from Aria's and Mona's POV, but the further into it I get the more I want to focus on Aria. I think I just don't know enough about Mona to really focus on her. Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter to you. Enjoy!**

Spencer had been shocked when she received the text from Jason. It had been a week since they had found Cece, and she felt like she could have used his support. Or at least a hug from her brother. She couldn't believe he had been staying at the Lost Woods this whole time and no one had had any idea.

The door to Room opened as she pulled up and she was relieved to see that Jason looked just fine. She had been so worried about him when he had disappeared from the hospital that night. She climbed out of her car and walked over to him, greeting him with a hug. She didn't think she had ever hugged him before. It was weird, but nice.

"Spencer," he said as he ushered her inside. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

"For now." He replied.

Jason quickly told her about his communication with Caleb and that he had met with Toby and Aria the night they had found Cece. Spencer was surprised. None of them had mentioned anything about it to her.

"I asked them not to." He explained. "I don't want anyone knowing where I am. I don't know who's after me yet."

"Probably Melissa." Spencer said without thinking. She looked at him with wide eyes, wondering if she should have mentioned that.

"I know about all that." Jason said. "Caleb told me most of it, and what he didn't tell me Aria and Toby did. How is Aria? She seemed pretty shaken up that night."

"We all were." Spencer said. "She seems to be fine now. Except that she still misses Ezra."

"Caleb said they'd broken up." Jason said. "Can I trust you with a secret?"

"Of course."

"That's actually why I asked her to meet me that night."

Spencer stared at him. "Wait. You still like Aria?"

Jason nodded. "I always liked Aria. I was going to tell her that night, but Toby showed up with her."

Spencer was quiet for a moment before she decided to ask him about something that had been bugging her for the last week. "Did anything seem…odd between them that night?"

Jason shrugged. "They both seemed a little jumpy, but that's normal after a night like that. Why?"

"No reason." Spencer said. "They've just been acting a little weird around each other lately. I guess they just aren't sure if they can trust each other."

"They seemed pretty sure of it when they were here." Jason said, looking at his sister. "Do you think there's something going on between them?"

His response didn't make her feel any better. "With my best friend and my boyfriend? No. Of course not."

He didn't believe her. He doubted Aria would ever do anything to hurt Spencer on purpose. The girls were better sisters to Spencer than Melissa ever had been. But Toby was another story. Jason still wasn't sure about trusting him, and if he did anything to hurt any one of the girls he'd regret it.

Spencer's pone rang. It was Aria. She answered it. "Hello?"

"Spence?" Aria said. "Where are you? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

"Sorry." Spencer apologized. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm with Jason."

Jason's head shot up. "Is that Aria?"

His voice was a whisper, but she heard him just fine and nodded.

"Okay." Aria said. "Just get here soon."

"I will." Spencer promised and hung up. "I better get going. They're all waiting for me."

"Don't tell anyone what I said." Jason warned.

"That you like Aria?"

He nodded. "Or where I am."

"I won't." she said, heading for the door. "I promise." She stopped when she was halfway out and looked back. "Jason, about what I said that night…"

"It's okay Spencer." Jason said, cutting her off. "You were upset. I understand."

"She wasn't pregnant." Spencer said before she closed the door behind her and went back to her car.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author note – Guys I really love all the comments y'all are leaving, letting me know how much you like my story! Let me know if you have any suggestions. **

_Spencer kissed Melissa's boyfriends and you kiss Spencer's. You don't do well on the rebound, do you? –A_

A knew. Aria stared at the screen of her cell phone. Why was she surprised? Of course A knew. Toby was A! No, she corrected, Toby had been A. She still wasn't sure about Mona. None of them were. But she was almost willing to bet her life on Toby. Yes, things had been a little weird between them since that night, but that was to be expected. She had kissed her best friend's boyfriend!

As far as she knew Toby hadn't mentioned anything about that night to Spencer, but maybe she should. She had kept it a secret for an entire month now. Not that it was really anything to freak out over. They had both been through a rough night and it had only been a kiss. But what if Spencer found out from someone other than her or Toby? What if A let the cat out of the bag? Would Spencer ever forgive her?

She was about to call Spencer when her phone rang. It was Toby. She was nervous, but she answered.

"We have a problem." He said.

"What?"

"I just got a text from A."

Aria sighed, her shoulders slumping. "So did I. A knows about that kiss. We have to do something."

"What?" Toby asked.

"We have to tell Spencer before A does." Aria said. "It'll be a lot less painful if we tell her. I hope."

Toby sighed on the other end of the line. "You're right, but how do we tell her that? She's still getting over the whole me being A thing."

"I guess we just tell her." Aria said. "I was just about to call her. Why don't you come over and we can tell her together. That way it won't look like either of us is trying to hide it."

"We hid it for a whole month Aria." He pointed out.

"Well we can't hide it any longer." She said. "And we shouldn't have in the first place."

"It didn't mean anything."

"I know, but we still should have told her. How would you feel if she had kissed Caleb and kept it from you for a whole month?" she asked. "Even if it didn't mean anything."

Toby sighed again. "You're right. Call her. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Spencer's car was nowhere to be seen when Toby pulled into the Montgomery's driveway. He figured that was a good thing. Aria hadn't had to stall until he arrived. He got out of his truck, the truck Spencer had bought him, and walked up to the front door. He rang the bell, hoping Aria would answer the door and wasn't sure what to say when her father opened the door.

Byron Montgomery eyed him suspiciously. "Toby. Can I help you?"

Apparently Aria had failed to mention that he was coming over. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Why did he always feel so uneasy around Byron? "Is Aria here?"

"Yes." Byron paused for a moment. "Look Toby, I'm not sure how I feel about my daughter hanging out with you."

"I understand that Mr. Montgomery, but…"

"Dad, it's okay." Aria said, interrupting him. "I asked him to come over."

Toby was relieved that she had cut him off because he had no idea what he had been planning on saying.

Byron looked at his daughter, who he thought had shown some questionable judgment when picking some of the male figures in her life. "Oh. Is anyone else coming over?"

"Yes. Spencer's on her way." Aria said. "I just got off the phone with her and was coming to let you know that the two of them were coming over."

"Oh." Byron turned back to Toby, still unsure of whether he wanted him hanging around his daughter. "I'm sorry, Toby."

Toby simply nodded and stepped inside, following Aria into the kitchen. "Your dad doesn't like me."

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "He doesn't like Ezra either, and I don't think he's all that sure about Caleb. Or Jason."

"Have you heard anything from him?" Toby asked.

"No." she said, shaking her head. "Spencer said she saw him, but that's it. Have you?"

"No, but I doubt I'm the first person he's going to call." He paused, sensing Byron lurking in the next room, eavesdropping. He leaned closer and whispered. "I'd rather not do this in front of your dad. I really don't want to give him more reason to dislike me."

"We'll go up to my room when Spencer gets here." She replied. "I don't think he'd be too happy if we did right now. We're safer down here."

Toby nodded and tried to relax a little. He wanted to ask if she had spoken to or seen Ezra since that night, but wasn't sure he should bring it up with Byron just around the corner. He felt bad for everything he had helped put the two of them through and wished he could take it back.

They managed to find things to talk about and ways to fill the time until Spencer finally arrived half an hour later. Aria practically jumped out of her skin when she walked into the kitchen, having let herself in as usual.

"Sorry it took me so long." Spencer said, giving Aria an odd look when she saw her jump. "Melissa was having another crisis and I couldn't get out. What did you two need to talk to me about?"

Aria led the two of them up to her room and closed the door, hoping her father was out of his eavesdropping mood now that Spencer had arrived. She looked at Toby, hoping he had some idea of how to start. He clearly didn't so neither of them spoke.

Spencer stood in front of them, looking from one to the other. "Come on guys. You called me over and said you had something important to tell me. What is it? Does it have anything to do with the weird vibe I've been getting from both of you the last few weeks?"

Toby sighed, sounding as if he had been holding his breath since she had arrived. "That night, when we met Jason at the Lost Woods, Aria drove me home."

"We had coffee and talked for a little while." Aria continued, hoping she wasn't about to loose her best friend. "I was still upset about Ezra and Toby helped me work I out a little. When I left."

"I kissed her." Toby blurted out, deciding to place all the blame on himself. Why should Spencer be hurt by both of them?

Spencer stared at him in disbelief. "You what?"

"_We_ kissed." Aria corrected, accepting her fair share of blame. "But it didn't mean anything. We were both upset and tired and it just happened."

Spencer's gaze was still locked on Toby, as if she hadn't heard a word Aria had said. "You _kissed_ my best friend? You hadn't hurt me enough, so you decided to _kiss_ my best friend? What the hell Toby?"

Aria had been expecting Spencer's anger to be directed at her. She was slightly stunned to hear her tearing into Toby like that and wanted to jump in and defend him. But she wasn't sure how.

"Spencer," Toby said. "I'm sorry. I didn't even realize it was happening until after it happened. I swear there's nothing going on. It was just one of those things that happen. Like you kissing Ian and Wren."

Spencer looked like he had just slapped her in the face. Aria couldn't believe he had said that. She stared at him in shock. "Toby."

He knew he shouldn't have said it, but he couldn't stop the words. They insisted on coming out of his mouth. "Spencer."

"No." she said. "I don't want to hear anymore. You've hurt me enough, Toby. I don't think I can take anymore."

Spencer pushed passed them and left the room. Aria tried to go after her, but Toby grabbed her arm.

"No." he said. "Let her go. Let her cool off."

Aria looked up at him. "Toby, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Neither did I."

He looked so sad. Aria couldn't resist putting her arms around his neck and hugging him. As much as she couldn't stand seeing Spencer hurting, this might just be worse.

Toby returned the hug, thinking that she needed comforting just as much as he did. Spencer hadn't said anything to her, but they both knew she would. She would be mad at both of them. The only difference was that she would probably forgive Aria.

"She'll calm down." He said, letting her go. "I better go."

"Toby, wait." Aria called after him but he was already gone. She didn't see any point in chasing after him so she simply dropped onto her bed and let herself cry. Why did things always have to get so messed up?


	7. Chapter 7

"Spence?" Aria called as she knocked on Spencer's bedroom door, which was rarely closed. "Can I come in?"

She heard a rustling coming from inside and a few moments later Spencer opened the door. Her eyes were red from crying, and she looked almost as bad as she had in the days leading up to her stint in Radley. Aria wanted to put her arms around her, but she decided that, right now, that wasn't the best idea. It had only been two days since she and Toby had dropped a huge bombshell on her.

Spencer simply looked at her and went back to her bed, leaving the door open so that Aria could come in. She wanted to hear what she had to say, but she didn't have the energy to speak.

Aria closed the door behind her so they would have some privacy and stood beside the bed. "Spence, I'm so sorry about what happened. I promise you it didn't mean anything."

"Did he kiss you?" Spencer asked, her voice sounding raspier than usual.

"What?"

"Did he make the first move, or did you?"

Aria was shocked. "How could you think I did?"

"Well, I never thought he would either." Spencer said. "Which was it?"

"He did."

"It figures."

"Spencer, we didn't plan on it. It just happened." Aria argued. "He kissed me and I kissed back. It meant nothing. We were both vulnerable is all."

Spencer finally looked up at her. "I get it, okay? It didn't mean anything. Just like me kissing Ian and Wren didn't mean anything. Except that it did. It meant that Melissa got hurt. This time it was me that got hurt. Again."

"Spence,"

"Save it, Aria." Spencer snapped at her. "You told me what happened and you apologized. I'm not mad at you."

"Really? "Cause it kinda sounds like you are mad at me."

Spencer sighed. "Maybe I am a little mad at you. Or a lot mad at you. But I'll get over it. We're Team Sparia."

Aria smiled. "I know. I just wanted to check on you."

"I'll be fine. I've been through worse."

"Toby's done worse." Aria pointed out, hoping to help ease Spencer's anger toward him.

"No. He hasn't." Spencer looked at her with betrayal in her brown eyes. "Being A was one thing. Kissing my best friend is something totally different. I don't think I can forgive him for this one."

Aria sat on the edge of the bed and took Spencer's hand in her own. "Ezra forgave me when Jason kissed me."

"You didn't kiss Jason."

"I kissed back."

"Yeah well, I'm not Ezra." Spencer said bitterly.

"No." Aria replied softly. "You certainly aren't."

Spencer flashed a tiny attempt at a smile, which made Aria feel much better. "Thanks for checking on me. I just want to be alone though."

"Okay." This time Aria did hug her. Spencer may be mad, but they were still okay. Now she just had to hope that Spencer and Toby would be okay too.


	8. Chapter 8

Spencer still wasn't totally sure why she was here. Something in her brain kept telling her that it might be a good idea to talk to him, but she really didn't see how. She told herself to turn around and go home, but her hand didn't listen as it knocked lightly on the door.

I can still run, she told herself as she waited for him to answer. She could, but it was too late. The door opened and there he was, in jeans and a t-shirt, looking at her with a mix of surprise and confusion showing on his face.

"Spencer." He said, wondering what in the world she was doing at his apartment. "Can I help you?"

She could say no. She could leave. "I need to talk to someone about something, and you're the only one I could think of. Can I come in?"

He wasn't sure she should, but Ezra stepped aside and let her in anyway. "I heard about what happened last month. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Is…" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"She's fine." Spencer said, understanding what he wanted to ask her. She decided it was best not to mention the fact that Aria was still very upset about the break-up and that she obviously missed him even though she refused to admit it.

They sat down on his sofa and he offered her coffee. She declined. She only wanted to talk. She needed a second opinion from someone that had been in her shoes, and that person was not Melissa.

Ezra remembered the last time they had talked. She had done all the talking, accusing him of overreacting when Aria told him about Malcolm and hurting her. Except Aria hadn't told him about Malcolm. Spencer had when she had started yelling at him out of the blue. He wasn't so sure he wanted to have this conversation, but he asked anyway. "What did you want to talk about?"

Spencer took a breath and dove in. "Aria said that you forgave her when Jason kissed her."

"I did." Ezra said, wondering where this was going.

"Why?"

"Because I loved her." he said hesitantly. "And I knew it didn't mean anything. It didn't change the way either of us felt about the other. Spencer, what is this about?"

"That night," she said. "When we found Cece. Toby…kissed Aria."

"What?"

"They both said it didn't mean anything, and I believe Aria." Spencer rambled on, not registering the shock on Ezra's face. "But now I don't know if I can really trust Toby. How do I know he wasn't trying to hurt me?"

Ezra wasn't sure how to answer, and the fact that she was very close to tears made him nervous. He knew how to handle it when Aria cried, but Spencer wasn't Aria. He didn't know Spencer that well. "I um, I don't know Spencer. Why do you think you can't trust Toby?"

"Because he was A." she said, her voice cracking because she was trying to hold it together. She wasn't sure if she could.

"I thought Mona was A." Ezra said. "I thought all of that was over."

Spencer shook her head. "So did we, but it started up again just before school started. Mona, and Toby, and Ali."

"Ali?" Ezra wasn't so sure she should have been released from Radley yet. He felt bad for thinking it, but she wasn't making any sense. "Spencer, what are you talking about?"

Spencer knew that Aria would kill her if she said anything, but right now she didn't care. She needed to get it out, so she told him everything. She told him about the night Emily couldn't remember, she told him about Toby being part of the A Team, she told him about her own involvement with the A Team, she told him everything about that night last month. She even told him that she had taken Malcolm when Aria was supposed to have picked him up. She couldn't stand holding it in any longer, so she simply spilled everything. And cried the whole time.

Ezra was stunned by what she told him. Aria had mentioned none of this. He had no idea that A had been messing with them again. All he knew was what had happened on the Halloween train, and apparently he didn't know all of that. He wasn't sure how to respond, but she was crying hard and he instinctively put his arms around her and held her in an attempt to comfort her and calm her down.

The fact that she had basically kidnapped his son didn't even occur to him because he knew she hadn't hurt him. Mona might have and Toby he wasn't sure about, but he knew Spencer well enough to know that Malcolm hadn't been in any danger when he was with her.

Spencer had been through a lot lately, and now he knew just how much. The only thing on his mind right now was how to help her. But to help her he had to get her calmed down, and the only way he knew to do that was to hold her. So he did. It didn't matter that this was technically illegal since he was now working as a substitute in the district. She needed someone and right now he was the only someone she had.


	9. Chapter 9

"How are things with you and Spencer?" Emily asked.

They were sitting in Emily's window seat, chatting over coffee. Aria shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I'm pretty sure she's forgiven me by now, but I'm still treading lightly." She glanced out the window at the Cavanaugh house. "How's Toby?"

Emily sighed. "Not so good. Have you not talked to him? I thought you two were getting to be friends."

"We were until he kissed me." Aria said. "Now I'm not sure. I haven't seen or heard from him since we told Spencer."

"He's probably just giving her time to cool down." Emily said. She kept her face turned down, but glanced up at Aria through her lashes. "Have you talked to Ezra lately?"

"Not outside of class. Why?"

Emily shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "I was just wondering. You know Hanna's still babysitting for him, right?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah. I know."

"Are you okay with that?" Emily asked. "I'm sure she would stop if she knew it was bothering you."

"It's not bothering me." Aria assured her. "Ezra needs a babysitter and Hanna needs the money. It's not like she's dragging Malcolm to my house and waving him in my face."

"Okay." Emily said, deciding to drop the subject. "Jason's back in town."

"I know." Aria said. "I saw him when I stopped by Spencer's yesterday."

"Is he okay?"

Aria knew that Emily had been worried about him since the incident with the elevator. They could have both been killed. She nodded. "I didn't talk to him, but Spence said he's doing fine. You should go see him."

Aria's phone rang and she checked the text that had just come in. "Hey Em, I better get going."

Emily looked concerned as Aria gathered her bag and started to leave. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Aria said. "I promised my mom I'd go over there for dinner tonight."

It wasn't late enough for dinner yet, but Emily didn't press further. "Okay. Call me later?"

"Yeah." Aria was gone in a hurry, barely missing colliding with Hanna as they passed in the hallway.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Hanna asked.

"Mom's." Aria replied.

"Okay. Well, Malcolm wanted me to tell you hi."

Aria froze on the top step and looked back. "Thanks."

Hanna watched as she disappeared and heard the front door open and close. A few moments later she heard Aria's car leave. Something wasn't right.

Aria parked her car at home and walked to Jason's since she had told Emily and Hanna that she was going to her Mom's. She was having dinner at Ella's that night, but she didn't have to be there for another hour or so. She snuck around the back of the house, hoping that no one would see her. She wasn't sure why she didn't want anyone to know she was going to see Jason, but something made her think it would be a good idea to keep it quiet for now.

Jason was sitting on the back porch, waiting for her when she arrived. He smiled at her and stood as she approached. "Hey."

"Hey." She said, returning the smile.

Jason led her into the kitchen and asked if she wanted anything.

She shook her head. "No. I'm fine. When did you come back?"

"Last night." He said, leaning against the counter and folding his arms across his chest. "I decided that hiding wasn't doing me any good."

"It usually doesn't." she said, thinking that she should know. Hiding had caused all sorts of problems for her in the last few years.

Jason looked at her for a moment, thinking that she looked as pretty as ever. "Spencer told me about you and Toby."

"There is no me and Toby." She said defensively. "Maybe as friends, but I don't even know about that right now. Spence is still pretty upset about the whole thing."

"Not at you though."

"Maybe not specifically at me, but I still feel like I'm walking on tiptoe with her." Aria admitted.

"You're her best friend." Jason said. "She won't stay mad at you. I don't think anyone could stay mad at you."

Aria smiled, not sure how to respond. There was that old feeling again. The she had felt around him when he had first come back to town, when her friends had though he was bad news. "That's sweet."

"I'm serious." He said, looking like he felt a little awkward. "Do you remember when I kissed you?"

Her eyes shot up to meet his. That had been the last thing she had expected him to bring up. "Yes. Why?"

He noticed that she looked a little freaked out and her voice sounded hesitant. "You said that you weren't available then."

"I wasn't." she confirmed. "I was with Ezra at the time."

"But you're not anymore?"

"No. We broke up."

"Because he started teaching again?" Jason asked.

Aria was starting to get a little suspicious. "No. I didn't feel right anymore. Why?"

"Is it really over with you and him?"

"Yes. Why?"

Jason closed the distance between them in two steps and Aria wasn't sure how to react when she felt his hands on her face and his lips cover her own. She was slightly stunned, as she had been when Toby had kissed her, but this was different. She felt something this time and when she kissed back she was just as eager and greedy as he was.

When they finally separated both of them were out of breath. A smile slowly spread across Aria's face. "I guess that answers my question."

Jason smiled back. "I guess so. I still have feelings for you Aria. I tried to ignore them because you were so obviously in love with Ezra, but I can't anymore."

"You don't have to anymore." She said. "I won't lie and say that I'm completely over Ezra, but that relationship _is_ over. I hated breaking up with him, but I think I'm okay now."

"Can I take you out tonight?" He asked. "I know its last minute."

"It is, and unfortunately I already have plans with my mom." She said, hating that she had caused the smile to leave his face. "But I'm free tomorrow night."

His smile returned and he leaned in to kiss her once more, but this time it was just a quick, teasing peck on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

All she could do was smile at him. She had thought she would never get over her break-up with Ezra. They had been so in love and it had killed her to have to end it. But no she was starting to see the silver lining. Maybe, just maybe, she would be okay.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author Note – What do you guys think? Can we trust Toby and/or Mona or not? Which way do you want to see it go? I'd love to hear your opinions because I can't decide!**

"How are things with you and Spencer? Mona asked.

Toby looked across the table at her. "You see her more than I do. What do you think?"

Mona ran her finger around the rim of her coffee cup. "I think she still loves you. You should talk to her. She's still pretty mad at you and I think Hanna's still suspicious, but I think you have Emily and Aria in your corner."

"I've always had Emily in my corner." He said. "I think Aria just feels sorry for me."

"No. She cares about you." Mona said. "She's worried about you. She's also worried about her relationship with Spencer."

"That's what she needs to be focusing on." Toby said. "Not me."

"Well at least she seems to be over Ezra now." Mona said. "She's seeing Jason now."

"Are you sure about that?"

Mona nodded. "Very. She hasn't said anything yet. They're still keeping it secret, but I still know how to find out even if I'm not using it against them anymore."

"Spying on them isn't going to help you get them to trust you, you know." Toby said. "If they find out you're still up to your tricks they'll never trust you."

Mona leaned forward, her face growing serious. "I'm not up to any tricks. I _am_ on their side. I don't want Aria to get hurt because she's with Jason. That's why I'm watching her. That's the _only_ reason I'm watching her now."

"How can we really be sure?" Toby asked, equally serious.

"How do we know we can trust you?" she countered.

"The girls could always trust me." He replied. "It was you they had to worry about. I was trying to keep them safe."

"Well now I'm trying to keep them safe too."

Toby sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well maybe you should let Aria know that you're worried. Let her know that you know about her and Jason. _Talk _to her. It's been two months now and they still aren't sure about you."

Mona stood up and put her cup in the sink. "You're right. I'll go talk to her right now."

"Are you okay?" Mona asked. She and Aria were sitting at the Brew. Emily was working the register, but was watching them. Mona knew both girls still weren't sure about her.

"I guess I'm still not used to spending time with you." Aria admitted. "Alone anyway."

Mona gave her a sympathetic look and reached for her hand. She was pleased that Aria didn't pull it away. That meant she was at least trying to give her another chance. "I get it Aria. But what I want to talk to you about, I feel we should discuss alone. Just the two of us."

"You're not about to ask me to join the A Team are you?" Aria tried to make it sound as if she was teasing Mona, but it came out sounding more like she was scared of Mona.

"Of course not, silly!" Mona replied, smiling. "I'm done with all that."

They sat in silence for a moment, both of them aware that the other customers were probably whispering about them. Everyone found it odd that the girls had brought Mona into their group after what she had done.

"I want to apologize." Mona started.

Aria cut her off, fed up with her apologies. "Stop it Mona. Stop apologizing to me. I know you're sorry about the whole A thing. I get it."

Mona looked shocked at Aria's outburst. "Aria, that's not what I was apologizing for."

"Then what is it now?" Aria demanded.

Mona leaned in and whispered so that no one else could hear. "I know about you and Jason."

"What? How?"

"I may have used my…skills."

"Mona." Aria's voice was dark with warning.

"I know I shouldn't have, and I promise it wasn't for any bad reason." Mona insisted. "It's just that you were getting really secretive again. Like you were when you and Ezra first started seeing each other. I was worried about you.

"I know this probably won't help me get you to trust me, but I promise I was only trying to look out for you."

Aria didn't reply.

"Jason isn't safe, Aria." Mona whispered. "Whoever tried to kill him in that elevator _did_ kill Ian and Garrett. I don't want you to end up in the graveyard with them because you were careless."

Aria took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Thank you for your concern, Mona, but I'm not being careless. I know that someone wants to hurt Jason. Why do you think we're keeping it secret for now?"

"Well can you at least tell the girls?" Mona asked. "Don't you think your friends should know? They knew about Ezra."

"So did you."

Mona ignored the venom in Aria's voice. "Please, Aria. Don't something stupid."

Mona's pleading made Aria wonder if she knew more than she was letting on. "What is this about Mona?"

"About? What do you mean? I'm only concerned for your safety. Honestly."

Aria studied the other girl. Her eyes looked sincere, as did the rest of her face. But she had tricked them into trusting her before.

Mona pulled out her phone and showed her a text. "I got this last night. It scared me."

_Aria's getting pretty close to Jason. She might want to watch her back. He has a target on his. –A_

Aria read the message and reminded herself that Mona had done this before too. She had made them think that A was after her when it had really just been part of her plan. What had she said or done so far that gave any of them a reason to believe that they could truly trust her? That's why none of them truly did. They had accepted her into the group, but they were all keeping her at arm's length just in case. She had sabotaged all of their relationships before. What made Aria think that that wasn't exactly what she was trying to do now?

Nothing.


	11. Chapter 11

Aria smiled as Jason leaned over and placed a kiss on the side of her neck, his hand sliding up her leg and resting on her waist under the covers. It was the middle of the day and they were in his bed. The fact that Spencer was right next door and could come in any second if she decided she needed to talk to her brother was the last thing on Aria's mind as she rolled onto her back and let Jason kiss her lips.

He had been teaching her how to play pool and things had gotten intimate very quickly. At first Jason had seemed hesitant, as if he thought it might be too soon. They hadn't been together long. Aria decided that it might be too soon, but she didn't care. It hadn't taken very long for him to understand that she had no plans of holding back, and now, here they were tangled together in his bed.

"Jason?"

He buried his face in her soft dark hair. "Hm?"

"Mona knows."

"About what?"

"About us." She said.

Jason's face registered mild confusion. "I thought we weren't telling anyone yet."

"I didn't tell her." Aria corrected him. "She found out on her own."

"Is she blackmailing you or something?"

She smiled at the sense of protection he so obviously felt for her. "No. She said she was just worried about me. A sent her a text. About us."

Jason sat up. "What?"

She told him about the text and about the conversation she had had with Mona the previous afternoon. "I think we need to stop hiding."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either." She said. "But I need to at least tell my friends. And wouldn't it be nice to actually go out for a change? I'm so tired of trying to have my relationships behind closed doors. Ezra and I had no choice in the beginning, but there's no reason that I can think of that people can't know that we're together."

Jason reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "Are you sure?"

Aria nodded. "I'm sure."

"Okay." Jason said, smiling. "Then we'll go out to dinner tonight."

Aria smiled back, unable to control it. "That sounds wonderful."

Jason watched as she got out of bed and got dressed. "Where are you going?"

"Next door." She said. "We're all getting together to hang out and not think about A. You should come with me."

He thought about it for a moment and decided he would.

Aria waited for him to get dressed and they walked next door to the Hastings' house together, hand-in-hand.

They weren't the first to arrive. When they got there Hanna, Caleb, and Emily were already there. Spencer was playing hostess while they waited for Aria, Mona, and Toby to arrive. None of them had been expecting Jason and they were all surprised to see him come in with Aria.

Spencer glanced at their joined hands and looked at them with her arms folded and her eyebrows raised. "Well, you two look awfully friendly."

Jason let go of Aria's hand and started to say something when Mona and Toby arrived. Spencer stiffened visibly and the others could practically feel the tension in the room.

Aria hadn't seen Toby in a while and greeted him with a smile. "Hi."

"Hi." He replied, his eyes still on Spencer. He was practically begging her to at least relax.

Mona looked at Jason and Aria and smiled. "Hi Jason. I wasn't expecting to see you."

"None of us were expecting to see him." Spencer said, turning her attention back to her brother and best friend.

Jason didn't seem to know how to respond to Spencer's reaction so Aria spoke up. "I asked him to come over with me. We have an announcement to make."

Spencer noted the neither Mona, nor Toby seemed surprised. She glanced over at the other three in the living room and was happy to see that they seemed to be as confused as she was. She looked back at Aria, having easily figured out that she had been at Jason's house with him. "What were you doing over there?"

"I was teaching her how to play pool." Jason said, deciding it was best to leave out the other activities they had taken part in.

"We've been…seeing each other." Aria admitted. "For the last few weeks."

Everyone except Mona and Toby looked surprised. Spencer most of all. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were wide in shock.

Aria took a step toward her friend. "Spence? Are you okay?"

"I think so." Spencer said. "You keep dropping bombs on me. You kiss my boyfriend and now you're dating my brother."

"Wait." Hanna said. "I thought Toby kissed Aria."

Emily swatted her arm. "Hanna."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Spencer said.

"Are you okay with this?" Aria asked carefully. "With me and Jason?"

Spencer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I think so. I'm just surprised. It may take me a little while to get used to it."

The atmosphere continued to feel tense, but they managed to get through an entire hour together before everyone started leaving. Aria felt that it was a good start to mending Toby and Spencer's relationship and she gladly accepted Toby's offer to drive her home since she had walked to Jason's. She climbed into his truck, sliding over to the middle seat while Mona climbed in after her.

"It's good that you told them." Mona said as Toby turned the key in the ignition. "About you and Jason. Now A won't be able to use it against you as well."

Aria still felt weird talking about A with Mona, but she realized that she was right. A wouldn't be able to spring any surprises about her and Jason on the other girls because they knew now.

"Spencer didn't seem too thrilled about it." Toby said. "But that may have just been me."

"Honestly, it was probably both." Aria said.

Once everyone had left and Spencer had cleaned up a little she went up to her room and called Ezra. He had told her the day that she had fallen apart at his apartment that she could call him if she needed to talk. She desperately needed to talk now, but she wasn't ready to share this secret with the girls. She wasn't ready to share this secret with anyone actually, but she thought she might explode if she didn't talk to someone. She certainly couldn't talk to her parents or Melissa, and she wasn't sure how she felt about Jason right now. So she called Ezra, her new-found confidant, and asked if she could come over. He told her that he thought that wasn't the best idea and suggested that they meet for dinner in Philadelphia, where they were less likely to be seen by anyone that could cause trouble. When Spencer hung up she wondered if this was how Aria had felt when she had been sneaking off to meet Ezra.


	12. Chapter 12

"You look nice." Byron said as he ran into his daughter hurrying out of her room. She was wearing a red plaid dress with black boots and a black leather jacket. Her hair was up in some sort of messy bun style with her bangs loose. She looked her age and yet, at the same time, she looked much older. "Where are you going?"

Aria blinked at him. She knew she had told him. Had he not been listening? "I told you when I got home that I have a date."

"Oh that's right." Byron said, smiling. "I'm sorry. I've been busy lately."

"It's okay Dad." She said, trying to get passed him. She was meeting Jason in Philadelphia and she was going to miss her train. "I should get going."

"Wait a second, Aria." Byron said as he grabbed her arm. "Who are you going out with?"

She understood that he was her father and all fathers wanted to know who their daughters were seeing. She also understood that he may not trust her after Ezra. The doorbell rang and she hoped it wasn't anyone that would keep her any longer. She really had to get going. "Jason."

"You're going out with Jason DiLaurentis?" Byron was surprised. He wasn't sure if he was okay with this or not, but at least he wasn't her teacher.

"Yes, Dad." She said impatiently. "I'm going to be late. Can I go now?"

He didn't like her haughty tone, but he let her go. "Don't stay out too late."

"I won't." she promised and practically flew down the stairs, yanking the door open and yelping when she ran into Jason. "What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting up in Philly."

Jason smiled at her and glanced at the top of the stairs where her father was standing. He waved at Byron and swept Aria out of the house. "It's our first real date. I thought I should pick you up."

She liked the fact that her date could pick her up without having to worry about being seen. She liked that she didn't have to hide her relationship with Jason if she didn't want to. She liked that she didn't have to worry about him being sent to jail if anyone found out. She felt bad for thinking these things because it sounded like she was comparing Jason to Ezra and that wasn't fair. She had loved Ezra more than anything, and she figured she would always love him a little, but Jason was Jason and she couldn't compare him to Ezra. That wouldn't be fair.

Spencer felt bad about not telling Aria that she was seeing Ezra. Of course there was nothing romantic about it, but didn't Aria deserve to know? Would she feel betrayed when and if she found out? Would she feel anything at all like Spencer had felt when she had found out that Toby had kissed Aria?

She decided that she shouldn't worry about it now as she stepped off the train and made her way out of the station. Ezra had driven down and was waiting for her outside. He greeted her with a smile and she returned it. "Sorry I'm late. My dad started asking questions and I almost missed the train. Luckily it was running late too."

"It's okay. I wasn't waiting long." Ezra said. "What was your dad asking about?"

Spencer couldn't help but wonder if Aria had ever been in a similar situation with him. "The usual suspicious father questions. Where are you going? Who are you meeting? My parents have been a little more protective since Mona started hanging out with us."

"What did you tell him?" Ezra asked.

"That I just wanted a night to myself, with no drama." She said. She had thought about saying that the events of the last few years had taken a toll on her grades and that she was meeting Ezra for a tutoring session, but her dad would have wanted to know why they had to go all the way into the city to do it over dinner.

Ezra realized that this was the second one of his students that had been forced to lie to their parents to meet him and couldn't help but wonder if his mother had put some sort of curse on him.

"So, um, what do I call you?" Spencer asked suddenly. She hadn't really called him anything outside of school since he had been back. In fact, she had never called him anything other than Mr. Fitz to his face. Even when she had ambushed him in the park she hadn't said his name.

"I think Ezra would be less awkward." He said.

Spencer nodded as they turned a corner. They were almost at the restaurant and she happened to glance down the sidewalk toward it. She froze when she saw who was coming from the opposite direction. She would have turned and ran or ducked into the nearest store, dragging Ezra with her, but Aria had seen them at the same time. They had no choice but to keep going and confront the awkward situation they were about to walk into.

Ezra saw the other couple moments after Spencer did, having looked for the cause when she suddenly tensed up. His first reaction was to run to Aria and beg her to take him back. Then he saw Jason with his arm around her and he wasn't sure if he wanted to hide or hit him.

Jason and Aria were just as surprised to see Spencer and Ezra and Aria quickly broke away from Jason and grabbed Spencer. They walked off a little way, leaving the men to stand and stare at each other awkwardly.

"What the hell, Spence?" Aria demanded in an angry whisper. "Is this some kind of revenge for what happened with Toby?"

"No!" Spencer said, a little too forcefully. "No, of course not."

"Then what the hell are you doing with Ezra?"

"Having dinner with him." Spencer admitted. "But I swear there's nothing going on. He's just helping me deal with…everything."

"So what? You two are friends now?" Aria asked.

Spencer shrugged, looking confused and a little scared. "Kind of. Look, after you and Toby told me what happened I was a wreck for a couple of days. That on top of everything else probably should have put me back in Radley. When you mentioned Ezra forgiving you for the thing with Jason, I got the idea that maybe he could help me deal with it."

"So you went over there?"

"Yes. I went over there and I cried my eyes out." Spencer said. "I probably shouldn't have, but I told him everything. _Everything_. I couldn't stop the words once they started."

Aria was shocked when she realized what _everything_ meant. She glanced over her shoulder at Ezra, not even seeing Jason. He knew everything. She turned back to Spencer. "Everything? What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, Aria." Spencer hissed. "I was upset! Kind of like you were when you kissed Toby."

Spencer's words stung and sobered Aria quickly. She took a breath and made herself calm down some. "Okay. But why didn't you tell me you were seeing Ezra?"

"First of all, I'm not _seeing_ Ezra. This is totally platonic." Spencer reassured her. "I would never do that to you. Never. And I knew you were hurting from the break-up and it wasn't easy for you knowing that Hanna was babysitting for him. I just didn't want to upset you anymore. If I had known where you and Jason were going tonight, I would've meet Ezra somewhere else. I'm sorry."

Aria sighed. "It's okay."

The girls shared their first hug in a while, realizing how much distance they had put between them and how much they missed each other.

Spencer smiled down at Aria. "Are we sill Team Sparia?"

Aria smiled back and slipped her arm through Spencer's. "Of course. We always were."


	13. Chapter 13

"When did Aria start seeing Jason?" Ezra asked, glad that he was sitting with his back to them.

Spencer glanced over his shoulder at her best friend and brother on the other side of the restaurant. "A few weeks. I didn't find out about it until today though. I was going to tell you tonight."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" he asked, thinking she had sounded too upset on the phone for that to be the reason.

"No. That has nothing to do with what I wanted to talk about." Spencer said, wondering if she would be able to say the words when it was time.

"So what _did_ you want to talk about?" he was trying to stay focused on Spencer and not the couple across the room.

Spencer took a breath and opened her mouth, fully expecting the words to stick in her throat and refuse to come out. But they didn't. They practically fell out of her mouth and onto her plate. "I'm pregnant."

Ezra's blue eyes widened in shock and he flashed back to the last time he had heard those words. It had been Maggie then, and it had been his child. This time it was Spencer and he knew there was no reason for him to freak out. He had never even thought of Spencer in that way. But for some reason his heart had jumped into his mouth and his stomach was now lying at his feet. Maybe it was simply because she was so young and he did care about her. "You're what?"

Spencer noted the look on his face. Like she had just thrown a bucket of ice cold water on him. "Pregnant. I found out last week. It's Toby's."

"Have you told him yet?" Ezra asked.

"No. I haven't told anyone yet." She said. "I don't even know if I can tell him."

"You have to tell him." Ezra said, reaching across the table to take her hand. "Trust me. I've been there."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you. I have no idea what to do."

"Are you sure you're okay staying here?" Aria asked. She couldn't help but wonder what Ezra and Spencer were talking about across the room. He was holding her hand and she looked scared and pale. Aria was worried.

"I'm fine." Jason assured her. "Are you? You look…distracted."

She brought her attention back to him. "Yeah. I'm fine." She saw no reason to alert him to the fact that Spencer looked like she was about to throw up.

"Spencer's not seeing him now, is she?" Jason asked. He would kill him if she was. He had no business dating his students.

"No. He's just helping her sort through some things." Aria said as Spencer stood up and half ran to the bathroom. She set her fork down and pushed her chair back. "I'll be right back, Jason."

"Spence?" she called as she entered the bathroom, her voice echoing back to her. She could hear Spencer in one of the stalls, throwing up. "Are you okay?"

Spencer emerged from the stall after a moment and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "No."

Aria hurried to wet a paper towel and help her friend clean up. "What's wrong? You looked upset out there. Did Ezra…"

"No." Spencer said, leaning against the counter. "Toby."

"I don't understand." Aria said. "Spence, what's going on?"

"I'm pregnant, Aria."

Aria was surprised that her legs didn't give out, but she grasped the counter anyway as she stared at Spencer with a look very similar to the one Ezra had given her. "Pregnant?"

Spencer nodded. "It happened that night."

Aria did the math quickly. Spencer would be about two months along. "Does Toby…"

"No. I haven't told Toby." Spencer said, cutting her off again. "I told Ezra and I told you. No one else knows."

Spencer's phone rang. It was a text message. Both girls stared at it for a moment and Spencer handed it to Aria.

"I'm picturing a newborn with a six-pack. –A." Aria read out loud.

Spencer was certain she was going to be sick again. She sank to the floor and didn't try to stop the tears. A knew she was pregnant and had quoted the exact words she had said to Toby one day. Once she was able to calm down she explained this to Aria.

"What does that mean?" Aria asked. "Is Toby still A?"

"I don't know." Spencer sobbed. She clung to Aria as if she was the last thing keeping her from going over the edge. "What am I going to do Aria? A knows I'm pregnant."

Aria didn't know what to do. She was just as scared as Spencer as she held her and stroked her hair, trying desperately to think of something. Toby couldn't be behind this. He wouldn't do something like this to Spencer again, would he? She'd kill him if he did. "It's okay Spence. We'll think of something."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author note – guys I tweeted this story to Marlene King the other day! I don't think she saw it, but I'm very proud of myself for giving it a shot.**

Ezra was concerned about Spencer. He had seen Aria go after her and knew she was in good hands, but he still wanted to check on her himself. After everything she had told him he wasn't sure she could really take much more. What if this was the straw that broke the camel's back?

He glanced across the room at Jason as he stood to go check on the girls. He wished their positions were reversed. He should be having dinner with Aria and Jason should be taking care of Spencer.

He didn't bother knocking on the bathroom door. It was the ladies' room, but right now e didn't care. He was worried about Spencer. If some woman had a fit because he came in, oh well.

Aria looked up when he came in and quickly realized that he was only there to make sure Spencer was alright. She felt a slight tug of longing for him and squashed it, reminding herself that Spencer was what mattered right now. Besides, she was with Jason now.

Ezra thought that the two of them would have made a striking picture. Aria sitting in the bathroom floor, her legs tucked under her, with Spencer's head in her lap. Spencer was clinging to Aria and crying silently. It was clear that even with everything they had been through, even though Toby had kissed Aria, they were still closer than a lot of friends. It occurred to him that they were closer to sisters than friends. They were fiercely protective of each other and Ezra thought that they would remain together no matter what the world, or A, threw at them.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

Aria nodded, her hand still stroking Spencer's hair. "She will be."

"She told you?"

"Yeah." Her voice dropped to just above a whisper as she decided it was okay to tell him the rest. "A knows."

Ezra didn't know how to respond to that. Aria had kept most of that stuff from him and he didn't know how to deal with A. When Spencer had first told him everything he had been hurt, feeling like Aria hadn't trusted him enough to tell him, but he quickly realized that she had only been trying to keep him safe. He could see in her eyes that she was, at this moment, trying to figure out a way to keep Spencer safe. He admired her even more for that.

"I want to go home." Spencer mumbled between sniffs.

"Okay." Aria said, her full attention shifting back to her friend. "I'll ride the train back with you."

Spencer struggled to sit up, shaking her head. "No. You finish your date."

"I'm sure Jason will understand." Aria said. "Besides, Ezra can't exactly drop you off back at home."

"I'll figure out something to tell my parents." Spencer insisted. "If you bring me home we'll have to tell them that you were here with Jason. That would probably get a worse reaction that Ezra bringing me home."

Aria realized that Spencer was right. Jason DiLaurentis wasn't exactly the Hastings' favorite person, even if he was technically part of the family. It would be much easier to come up with some plausible reason for Ezra bringing her home. Reluctantly she agreed, looking up at Ezra. "Call me when you get her home?"

"Yeah. Of course." He promised, his insides twisting into knots when their hands brushed as they helped Spencer to her feet.

"What should I tell Jason?" Aria asked as the three of them left the bathroom.

"Tell him I have a bit of a jippy tummy." Spencer said, laughing a little.

Ezra and Aria looked at each other, neither of them having any clue what she was talking about.

"A what?" Aria asked.

Spencer smiled although she was still feeling a little sick. "Food poisoning. It's what Wren told Melissa that night I attacked Mona."

Aria sat with Spencer while Ezra paid for their meal and walked back over to Jason as they left.

"Is Spencer okay?" Jason asked as soon as she was seated again.

Aria nodded. "Yeah. She's just not feeling very well. Ezra's going to take her home."

Jason wondered how they would explain it to her parents but didn't ask. Aria looked upset and she was his first concern right now. He reached across the table and took her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She lied. The truth was that she was having second thoughts about this relationship. Maybe she should have stayed with Ezra.

Ezra parked in Spencer's driveway and walked around to help her out of his car. He walked her to the front door and felt a flash of panic when her mother opened the door as Spencer was reaching for the knob.

Veronica's gaze traveled from her daughter, who obviously wasn't feeling well, to Ezra, who was her teacher and shouldn't be standing at the door with his arm around her daughter. "What's going on here?"

Spencer didn't feel like answering. She wasn't certain that she would projectile vomit on her mother if she so much as opened her mouth. Veronica wouldn't like that very much.

"I ran into Spencer in Philly and she wasn't feeling well." Ezra lied. "I figured it would be better for her if I drove her home instead of putting her back on the train."

Veronica was a little suspicious of this explanation, but she didn't think about it too much. Her daughter was sick. Instead she thanked him and took Spencer inside so she could lie down.

Ezra was relieved that Mrs. Hastings had accepted his explanation as he got back in his car and called Aria to let her know Spencer was home safe. He wanted to tell her that he missed her, that she was all he could think about, but right now wasn't the right time. He figured she at least deserved to finish her date with Jason before he started begging her to come back to him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author note – I'm sorry about any grammar mistakes you may come across. My spell check apparently doesn't know as much about grammar as I do, and I don't always go back and read over the chapter before I post it.**

Toby was surprised to see Spencer walk into the Brew behind Emily. She looked angry and Emily looked concerned. He opened his mouth to say good morning, but she didn't give him a chance as she shoved him down into a chair. This was the first time Spencer had ever really scared him and he wasn't sure how to react. He looked to Emily for some kind of clue, but she only shrugged and shook her head as if she was as lost as he was.

"Did you send me that text last night?" she demanded.

"What? What text?"

She pulled out her phone and shoved it in his face. "Did you send me this text last night?"

Toby read the message and still had no idea what was going on. He remembered her saying those exact words to him not too long ago when they had been talking about babies and suddenly his stomach was in knots. "I did not send you that text, Spencer. What is this about?"

Emily listened as she got ready to open before they left for school.

"Did Mona?" Spencer asked.

"I don't think so." Toby said. "Would you please tell me what's going on? Why would A send that?"

"Because I'm pregnant, Toby!" Spencer screamed.

A ceramic mug slipped out of Emily's hand and crashed to the floor. Her dark eyes were wide in shock as she looked across the room at her two friends. Spencer had tears running down her face and Toby looked as shocked as she was. He was very pale as he stared at Spencer who had sunk into the chair beside him.

Emily walked across the room and crouched in front of Spencer, looking up into her scared brown eyes. "Are you sure?"

Spencer nodded. "I took four tests. They were all positive."

"Have you told your parents?" Emily asked, thinking that Toby should be the one asking the questions. Certainly it was his baby.

"Of course I haven't told my parents." Spencer snapped. "My parents are the last people in the world that I want to tell."

"Who have you told?" Toby asked, knowing that this wasn't the first time she had shared the news with someone. He would have thought she had told Emily except for the fact that Emily was obviously as shocked as he was.

"Last night I told Aria and Ezra." Spencer said.

"Ezra?" Toby and Emily repeated simultaneously. Both of them were surprised.

Spencer nodded. "I've been talking to him. He's been helping me deal with some things. Last night I met him in Philly and we ran into Aria and Jason on their date."

"Does Jason know?" Emily asked.

"Not unless Aria told him after Ezra took me home."

"Wait. Ezra took you home?" Emily was confused.

Spencer explained the events of the prior night and followed Toby upstairs so they could talk.

"Are you okay?" he asked once the door was closed.

Spencer sat down on his sofa and sighed. "I don't know. I'm scared. I don't know what to do."

"We'll figure it out." Toby said, sitting beside her.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "We?"

"It is mine, right?"

She nodded. "Of course it's yours."

"Okay then. _We_ will figure it out."

A single tear rolled down her cheek. She was suddenly overcome with happiness. "After everything we've been through, you really want to go through this with me?"

Toby smiled and pulled her into his arms, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Of course I do Spencer. I love you."

She was crying again as she put her arms around him and held on for dear life.


	16. Chapter 16

"Are you sure you want to do this, Aria?" Spencer asked, her voice echoing slightly in her private bathroom.

Aria nodded, smiling at Spencer's reflection in the mirror. "Positive."

It was two days after Spencer had told Toby and Emily about her pregnancy, and Spencer hadn't been able to get her mind off it much. They had told Hanna during lunch that day, which may have been a mistake because Hanna's reaction was to blurt out the word "pregnant" in a very loud, shocked voice. Everyone around them stopped to look and Aria thought she and Emily would have to hold Spencer down to keep her from lunging across the table.

"You could just get those little fake clips." Spencer suggested. "Or have Hanna do it."

Aria rolled her eyes and turned to look up at Spencer. "Spence, I really want to do this. And I trust you. You did it last time."

"Yeah and you had to go in and have it redone because they were crooked."

"And I can do it again if I have to."

Aria had been trying to come up with a way to get Spencer's mind off the baby and she had finally settled on an idea. She had been walking with Jason when it had come to her, remembering the time at the park when he had said that he missed the pink streaks she used to have in her hair. She had decided to bring them back and had enlisted Spencer to help her, hoping that focusing on the task would help her calm down a little. She was fairly high-strung anyway but the last few days she had been practically unbearable.

Spencer still wasn't sure, but she decided that if Aria trusted her with her hair and a box of permanent dye then she could at least give it a try. If it came out looking like crap, she'd pay for the trip to the salon. The fact that she was helping her best friend look more attractive to her brother was only slightly weird.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Spencer asked as she began mixing the dye.

"Spence, you can ask me anything." Aria said. "We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Are you…" she broke off, unable to say the words. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Are you and Jason…sleeping together?"

Aria's first instinct was to deny it, but she knew better. Hadn't she just said that they didn't keep secrets from each other? "Yes."

Spencer's hand froze for an instant and started mixing again. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. "Okay. I don't even know why I asked. It's none of my business."

Aria smiled. "You asked because he's your brother."

Spencer thought about it for a moment. "Actually I think I asked because you're my sister and if he hurts you I'll kill him."

"Sister?"

"Yeah." Spencer said, smiling. "You and Hanna and Em have been better sisters than Melissa ever even thought about being. A girl couldn't ask for a better sister. And I got lucky and got all three of you."

Aria had never thought of it like that, but she realized that Spencer was right. The four of them were closer than any friends. They were sisters. "Does that mean your baby will call me Aunt Aria?"

Spencer saw the look on Aria's face as she said the words. "Chill. It's okay to talk about it."

Both girls were silent as Spencer applied the color to Aria's hair, attempting to create straight, even streaks. When she was finished and the dye was setting, she decided that it was okay to let Aria in on what had been bothering her ever since she had found out that she was pregnant. "I don't even know if I'm keeping it or not."

"What?" Aria asked, shocked. "You mean you're considering abortion?"

"I don't know." Spencer said. "A suggested it last night, but I've been…entertaining the idea for a while now. What kind of mother would willing bring a baby into all…this?"

Aria knew what "this" meant. It was what she was trying to keep Malcolm safe from. "There's always adoption."

"Yeah, but what's to keep A from hurting the baby before it's born?" Spencer asked. "A hit Hanna with a car and tried to push me off the bell tower. How do I know that they won't try to hurt my baby?"

"You don't." Aria said with a sigh. Her big hazel eyes suddenly filled with determination. "But if you do decide to keep it, even if you put it up for adoption, I promise we will do everything we possibly can to keep A from getting to it."

"You can't keep A from getting to anything." Spencer said. "You know that."

Aria reached for Spencer's hand. "Spence, look at me. You've got a whole group of people that would do anything for you. Me and Emily and Hanna, _Toby_, Caleb, Ezra, Jason. I'm sure your parents wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Our parents. Mona."

Spencer noticed Aria's hesitation on the last name. They were still trying to figure her out, but so far she had really done nothing to prove that she couldn't be trusted. In fact, so far she had been a pretty decent friend. Spencer could tell that both Toby and Aria were warming up to her, and she herself was loosing some of her reservations. Hanna and Caleb would probably be the last hold outs. "Melissa?"

"Well, I don't know what to think about Melissa." Aria admitted. "But surely she wouldn't want you hurt."

Spencer was to overcome with emotion to speak.

Aria smiled at her. "We love you Spencer, and we love your baby. No matter what."

Tears slid down Spencer's face as she knelt on the tile floor and wrapped her arms around Aria's waist, resting her head in her lap.

Aria meant every word she had said. She would take A down all by herself if she had to. She wasn't about to let anyone or anything hurt Spencer ever again if she had any say in the matter. This was her best friend and she had been through enough. They all had. She was sick and tired of A running her life.

There was a soft knock at the door and Veronica poked her head in. At first her face was merely curious, a mother checking on her child, but Aria saw the instant change to worry when she saw that child crying in the bathroom floor. She rushed in and knelt beside Spencer. Something had been off for a long time, but Veronica had noticed it more lately. Her husband was sure it was the trauma of Radley and the events that had led up to it, but she wasn't sure that was the whole story. "Spencer, what's wrong?"

Without thinking, Spencer let her secret out. "I'm pregnant, Mom."

Aria saw the color drain from Veronica's face and was afraid she was about to faint.

"Who's the father?" Veronica demanded. "If Ezra Fitz laid a hand on you."

Aria wanted to shout that Ezra would never do that, but she bit her lip.

Spencer's head shot up and she looked at her mother. "No Mother, Ezra didn't _do_ anything to me. He _helped_ me. It's Toby's baby."

Veronica wasn't pleased that her teenage daughter was pregnant, but at least it hadn't been her teacher that had gotten her that way. She knew that Aria had been seeing him, but that as far as she knew that hadn't started until after he had left his job at Rosewood. And he certainly wasn't seeing her now. Veronica knew for a fact that Aria was dating Jason now.

"Does it really matter who got me pregnant?" Spencer demanded.

"Of course it matters."

"No Mom, it doesn't." Spencer shot back. "What matters is that I'm pregnant. Your daughter is pregnant. Shouldn't your main concern be for me? Shouldn't you be asking if I'm okay?"

Veronica didn't want to have this fight in front of Aria and was relieved when Spencer got up and stormed out of the room. She didn't even acknowledge Aria as she followed after her younger daughter.

The timer went off and Aria got up to stick her head under the faucet and rinse her hair. She was wrapping it in a towel when Melissa came in.

"What's wrong with Spencer?"

Aria looked at the older girl. She didn't trust Melissa. She would rather put her life in Mona's hands than Melissa's. "I don't think it's my place to say, Melissa. You'll have to talk to Spencer about that."

With a huff Melissa turned and left. Aria was once more alone as she went into Spencer's room and made herself comfortable on the bed with a fashion magazine Hanna had left. She could hear the muffled sounds of Spencer and Veronica's voices coming from somewhere in the house and couldn't help but wonder how in the world this baby was going to survive being born into the Hastings family.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author note – Guys, I need your help! I can't decide if the baby should be a boy or a girl (I'm leaning toward a girl). What do y'all think? Personally I think Toby would be a great dad for a little girl and Spencer would be a great mom for a little boy. So you see my dilemma. Also, I haven't totally decided if she'll keep the baby yet. I'd like you opinion on that too. Thanks!**

Spencer Hastings was pregnant. The whole school was talking about it. The whole town was talking about it. Her parents had wanted to keep it secret. They had suggested sending her away until after the baby was born, and then she could put it up for adoption and no one would ever know.

Spencer had put her foot down on that one. She may be a few months shy of eighteen, but it was still her decision. The baby was growing inside _her_ body, and even if she decided not to keep it, she wasn't going to let her parents cover it up and act like nothing had happened.

So far the only people that knew for sure were her family and friends, and their families. Everyone else was just circulating rumors that no one was either confirming or denying. No one in her immediate circle was talking about it in public or bringing any attention to it in an attempt to spare Spencer the stress of having the town talk about her and point fingers at her. But, of course, in a small town like Rosewood, with A lurking just around every corner, that was impossible.

Everyone knew that she and Toby were back together now, and assumed that that meant that she was indeed pregnant with his baby. That fact alone was generating some major talk. There were still several people in Rosewood that thought that Toby Cavanaugh was bad news. Spencer herself had flip-flopped on that point a few times, but now she was certain that there was no one better for her than Toby. She loved him more than anything and she needed him desperately. He had been so calm and wonderful ever since she has told him about the baby. He was even talking about marriage, which she wasn't quite ready to think about yet, but she knew was an inevitable part of her future.

She was currently sitting on a bench in the courtyard at school, with her head in her hands, feeling rather ill.

Paige saw her across the courtyard and, afraid something might be wrong, rushed to her side. "Spencer, are you okay?"

Spencer replied without lifting her head, her voice muffled and hard to hear over the noise of the milling student body. "Do you have any idea how many times people have asked me that in the last five months?" She looked up at Paige with a weak smile. "I'm fine. Just feeling a little queasy."

"Can I get you anything?" Paige asked.

Spencer suddenly felt terrible for ever having thought badly of Paige McCullers. She had been so good for Emily and, ever since the Halloween train, she and Spencer had been growing closer as friends. She was now a full fledged member of their little circle of friends. "It'll pass. If not I'll throw up and try to miss my shoes."

Paige was amazed that Spencer still had a sense of humor. "Emily said you've got a doctor's appointment after school."

Spencer nodded. "Toby's picking me up after school. We get to find out if it's a boy or a girl."

Paige smiled at the exciting news. "Have you decided if you're keeping it yet?"

"No, but I'm definitely going to have it." Spencer confirmed. "The fact that A wanted me to get an abortion only made me not want to that much more."

Paige still couldn't see how the girls could talk about A so easily. She was still terrified. Especially now that they had no idea what was actually going on. Thankfully A had seemed to ease up on the more dangerous things like running people over with cars and setting buildings on fire. Menacing text messages seemed to be keeping him, her, or them happy for now. Paige thought that maybe A was trying to lull them into a false sense of security before striking again, but the girls seemed to be no less aware of the possible danger.

The bell rang and Paige helped Spencer to her feet and walked her to class. Spencer was feeling better now and couldn't help but smile as she took her seat. She wasn't sure if she wanted to keep the baby or give it up, but she was very curious to see if it was a girl or a boy. Secretly she had been hoping for a little boy, and she thought that Toby probably wanted a girl.

Toby would be a great dad for a little girl. She could easily see him hoisting her up on his shoulders and scaring the monsters away at night. An image of a newborn baby with a six pack popped into her head and she smiled to herself as the final bell rang and class started. Maybe keeping the baby wouldn't be such a bad idea.


	18. Chapter 18

Her parents were out of town yet again and Melissa was in the city. Spencer was home alone, and she was okay with that. Toby was picking her up soon and she wanted to figure out exactly what she wanted to say when she told him the news. She had made up her mind about whether she wanted to keep the baby. Her family would find out when they returned and her friends would find out later that night at the lake house, but Toby was the first one she wanted to tell.

They had found out the sex of the baby yesterday and she had invited everyone to the lake house so they could make the announcement. Whether she kept it or not, she knew they were all curious as to whether it was a girl or a boy. She figured it was as good an excuse as any to get everyone together and try to have a happy, A-free evening. She had picked the lake house because she wanted Ezra there too and didn't want to draw attention to their friendship. She knew putting him and Jason in the same room, especially with Aria there, might cause some problems, but she wanted them all there. Even Mona.

Her opinion of Mona had shifted severely over the last few months. She wasn't sure if she trusted her completely, but she had decided that it would be okay to let her in a little more and consider her a friend. But she was still keeping an eye on her.

She heard the back door open and she looked up to see Toby.

She was lying there on the couch, smiling at him, with her hand protectively covering the small swell of her belly. Toby didn't think he could be any happier than he was right now, and wondered if all expectant fathers felt like this. He knew she might decide to give up the baby, but right now that didn't matter.

"Ready to go?" he asked, grinning.

Spencer nodded and got up. She grabbed her purse off the counter while he picked up the bag she had in the floor. As she walked out the door she realized that this must be what a real family feels like. The kind she had always wished for. The kind where the parents are obviously in love with each other and are excited about the new addition. The kind where each member would do anything to support or protect the others. The kind that didn't first think of ways to cover up a slightly imperfect situation before making sure everyone involved was okay. The kind of family she hadn't grown up in.

She decided that she could get used to this feeling as Toby helped her into the truck.

Spencer waited until they had arrived at the lake house to tell him her decision. They were the first ones to arrive and had the entire place to themselves.

"Toby?" she said as she made herself comfortable on the couch.

"Yeah?"

"I've made up my mind."

He froze. He didn't have to ask what she had made up her mind about. He knew what he wanted her to say, but he had promised her that he would support her decision no matter what. He attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. "And?"

A big grin spread across Spencer's face. "I want to keep her."

Relief flooded over him as he sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so happy to hear that."

Spencer leaned against him, feeling safer than she ever had. "I thought about giving her up, but I don't think I could just go on with my life knowing she's out there somewhere. Growing up in some other family. She's our baby."

Toby smiled and kissed her. He couldn't think of anything to say. They may be young and unmarried, but he couldn't wait to hold his daughter. "I hope she looks just like you."

Her friends were happily chatting around her and Aria couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be. It felt a little odd to be celebrating a teenage pregnancy, but any little bit of happiness was very much appreciated lately, and what's happier than a new baby. It was clear to see that Toby and Spencer were both excited and their excitement was rubbing off on the rest of them. The only thing that made her truly uncomfortable was the almost palpable tension between Ezra and Jason.

She hated it, but it couldn't be helped. She understood that Ezra and Spencer had formed a special friendship and she wasn't about to get in the way of that. And Jason was Spencer's brother so of course he was there. She was particularly touched by the bond that had formed between the two of them. While it was weird seeing Ezra mingling with all of her friends, his former students, it was nice to see him be able to be around people he cared about.

"How are you holding up?"

Aria looked up at Toby and smiled. "Okay. I've been here before."

Toby remembered her telling him about the dinner party her parents had held. Jason and Ezra had both been invited to that too. "But this is a little different."

"Actually it's a lot more awkward, but I think we'll all be okay." She said. "How are _you_ holding up?"

Toby grinned. "I'm just fine."

She couldn't hold back a small chuckle. His happiness warmed her heart. "You'll make a great dad, Toby. That little girl's going to adore you."

He blushed a little, looking suddenly shy. "I hope so."

When Toby left her she noticed that Jason was wrapped up in a conversation with Emily and Ezra was standing alone, gazing out a window. She decided it wouldn't hurt anyone if she simply went over to talk. She was curious to see how Malcolm was doing.

"See anything interesting out there?"

"Not particularly." He said, keeping his gaze focused out the window. He was afraid to look at her. "Just the lake."

"Is it weird being here with all your students?" she asked, trying to tease a smile out of him. He looked so melancholy.

He finally looked at her. "It's weird being here with you, not with you."

"Don't go there Ezra." She warned. "We can't go down that road."

"I know." He said.

"How's Malcolm?"

"He's good. He asks about you." Ezra said.

She nodded. "Tell him I said hi."

"I will. He asked me the other day if you could come over and play trains."

It broke her heart. "Maybe I can take him out to lunch sometime."

"You broke up with me so you can date my son?" he asked.

Aria smiled, happy that he was teasing her like he used to. Maybe things weren't as bad a she thought. "Oh, of course. He's a real catch."

"You're a cradle robber." He teased, a small smile finally appearing.

"Me?" the word came out on a laugh. "Look who's talking!"

They were laughing when Jason joined them, slipping his arm around Aria's shoulders. She looked up and smiled at him. "Hi."

Jason wanted to kiss her, but he decided that that wouldn't be fair to Ezra. "Hi. Mind if I join the party?"

Aria noticed Ezra stiffen up a bit and wished, for a moment, that Jason hadn't come over.

Ezra's phone rang, and he checked it, hoping for an excuse to get away from Aria and Jason. "I'll talk to Malcolm about that lunch date, Aria."

"Okay." She said as he started to walk away. "Let me know."

"Did he leave because of me?" Jason asked.

Aria gave him an annoyed look. "Yes. We were just talking." She watched Ezra and Toby walk outside, hoping that Ezra wasn't leaving.

"I know." Jason said. "I wasn't trying to scare him away. I actually wouldn't mind being friends with him, but I don't think that's possible."

"Because of me?"

"Because of him." Jason corrected. "He's still in love with you, Aria."

Suddenly their party was interrupted by what sounded like a gunshot outside.

Spencer yelled Toby's name and ran outside, with the others on her heels, but that isn't what Jason saw or heard. What he heard was Aria yelling Ezra's name. What he saw was Aria run outside to make sure Ezra wasn't hurt. He wondered, as he followed everyone else out, if she would have reacted the same if it had been him outside instead of Ezra.

He saw two things when he got outside. Toby holding Spencer and Aria kneeling over Ezra, who was lying on the ground. He registered the fact that Emily was calling the police and couldn't see any reason why he should stay. The only thing that made him stay was the fact that his sister was crying. He ignored the fact that Hanna and Emily had rushed to comfort Aria who was crying over her ex and went to check on Spencer. He had no doubt that she would have run to check on him.


	19. Chapter 19

"Jason, wait!" Aria called out as she chased after him in the dark.

The police had left after taking everyone's statements, Ezra had been taken to the hospital by ambulance, Toby had taken Spencer home, and everyone else was in the process of leaving. Paige and Emily were waiting to see if she would need a ride or not, and the fact that her hands were covered in Ezra's blood was the last thing on her mind. She knew what was going through Jason's mind without him having to say a word.

"Jason!" she repeated as she caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Please. Talk to me."

Jason stopped and turned to face her, his face full of hurt and anger. "About what? About the fact that you obviously don't care about me as much as I thought you did?"

"Jason, I do care about you." She argued. "Of course I care about you."

"Really? Because it didn't really look like it tonight." He shot back. "You know, I'm trying real hard not to be jealous of Ezra Fitz, but it's not easy when the girl you love clearly still has feelings for him."

The fact that he had just said he loved her hadn't registered in her brain yet as she tried to justify her actions. "I'm sorry Jason. Ezra was my first love. I will _always_ care about him, but that has nothing to do with how I feel about you."

"How do you feel about me?" he demanded. "Because I just told you I love you, and your response was to tell me that you'll always love him."

"I didn't say I'll always love him. I said I'll always _care _about him."

"Do you care about me?"

"Yes. You know that." She desperately wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she couldn't. She couldn't lie to him. "I care about you a lot, Jason."

"Yeah, well that's not enough, Aria."

The tears started up again as he turned and walked away, but she didn't notice them. All she noticed was the fact that her heart had just been ripped out of her chest, thrown in the dirt, and stomped on. She was sobbing uncontrollably as her knees gave out and she crumpled to the ground. Emily and Hanna rushed to her side, wrapping their arms around her, but Aria didn't feel the embrace. Ezra, her first love, was in the hospital with a gunshot wound and Jason had pretty much ripped what was left of her to pieces.

Aria didn't notice as Caleb scooped her up off the ground and put her in Emily's car. She didn't notice him and Hanna slide in on either side of her in the back seat. She didn't notice Hanna's hand wrap around her own. She didn't notice when Caleb scooped her up once more and carried her up to her room. She didn't notice any of it and she didn't feel anything except the aching in her chest where her heart had once been.

The sound of someone entering her room woke her around two in the morning. Her face felt swollen and caked with dried tears. Her nose was stuffed up and she realized that she was still wearing the same clothes she had worn to the party. She wasn't sure how she got home, but assumed that her friends had driven her. Her room was dark as she sat up in bed, but she could make out someone sitting at the foot of her bed.

She waited for her eyes to adjust and was shocked when she realized who it was. "Ali?"

Alison smiled. "Hi sweetie. I can't stay long, but I had to come and make sure you were okay."

Aria was more confused than she had ever been. In fact, she was speechless as she stared at her friend, unsure if she were real or not. Ali was dead, but here she was. And she was Red Coat, which meant she was alive. But that also meant that she was the one pulling the A strings, right?

"My brother is such a jerk."

"Wh-what's going on?" Aria finally asked, managing to find her tongue. "I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand." Ali said. "Go back to sleep. I've got everything under control."

Aria watched as Alison stood and left, and she continued staring at the door after Ali was gone. What had just happened?

Suddenly she remembered what had happened at the lake house and looked down at her hands. They were clean. Someone had washed her hands and removed her socks and shoes before tucking her in. It must have been Emily or Hanna. She vaguely remembered them holding her after Jason had left. The events of the evening came back in flashes.

The baby was a girl and they were keeping it. Everyone had been laughing and having fun. She had been laughing with Ezra. He had gone outside with Toby when Jason had come over. There had been a shot. She had forgotten everything and had run to his side, leaving Jason. Ezra had been shot. The sight of him lying motionless on the ground, his shoulder bleeding, had made her feel sick as she had dropped to her knees and put her arms around him. The police had come. She had answered their questions and watched the paramedics load Ezra into the ambulance. Then she had had the fight with Jason and that was the last thing she remembered until Alison had woke her up.

The house was silent and she couldn't stand it. She had to get out. She washed her face and quietly snuck downstairs and out of the house. She didn't even bother to grab her shoes on the way out. She didn't know where she was going until she came to a stop in front of Jason's house. He was sitting on the front steps, in the dark, drinking a beer. She didn't see any empty bottles around so she assumed it was the only one he had had and cautiously walked over and stood in front of him. He simply looked up at her and waited for her to say something.

Finally she was able to speak, but her voice was so quiet she wasn't sure he heard her when she said that she was sorry. He was silent for a long time. The only move he made was to take another swig of beer.

"I love you, Aria." He finally said, not sounding at all drunk. His words were perfectly clear. "And you love him." He took another sip of his beer. "So, what do we do?"

"I don't know." She said, wanting to sit down beside him and have him put his arm around her. She wanted him to pull her close so she felt safe and kiss her.

"You can't go back to him, you know." He said. "At least not until you graduate, and that's still a few months away."

"Jason, I don't want to go back to Ezra." Her voice sounded annoyed, like a teenager mouthing off to an adult. It occurred to her that that's basically what this was. She was still a teenager and he was an adult. "I mean, part of me does, but…I can't."

"Then what do you want?"

"You."

"For now."

"Jason, that's not true."

He stood up and looked down at her before he went inside. "Go home, Aria. Go see Ezra at the hospital tomorrow and then we'll talk."

She wanted him to kiss her before he left, but he didn't. He simply went inside and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone outside. She waited for a while, hoping he might change his mind and come back out. When he didn't she turned around and walked back home.

She couldn't go see Ezra at the hospital, she thought as she sat on her bed and pulled her shoes on. Not during normal visiting hours when everyone could see her. This wouldn't be the first time she had snuck into the hospital, and she had a feeling it probably wouldn't be the last. But Jason was right. She did need to see Ezra. She needed to make sure he was okay.

He was half awake when she came in, and he wasn't sure if she was really there or if it was the pain killers messing with him. "Aria?"

"Hi." She said as she closed the door quietly behind her and walked over to the bedside. She smiled at him, happy to see that he was, in fact, still alive. She hadn't been sure when they had taken him away. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good." Ezra admitted. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to make sure you were okay, but I couldn't come during regular visiting hours." She sat on the edge of the bed, but pulled her hand away when he reached for it. "What happened?"

He still wasn't totally sure he wasn't dreaming her. "I was leaving. Toby got a text message or something. There was someone in all black…with a gun. He didn't see it and I pushed him out of the way. I don't remember anything else until I woke up here." He paused for a moment. "That's not true. I vaguely remember you. Your voice."

Aria felt choked up, like she was about to cry again. She couldn't take anymore crying tonight. "I was scared. I was worried about you."

"I know." Ezra said. This time when he reached for her hand she didn't pull away. "Aria, I love you. I will always love you."

"I can't, Ezra." She said as a single tear spilled over. "I can't go back to you. I can't."

"Graduation is only a few months away."

"No, Ezra. No." she said firmly and pulled her hand back. "We can't."

Ezra struggled to sit up and grabbed her hand back. "Look at me, Aria."

She didn't want to, but she did.

"Do you love him?"

Why does everyone keep asking me that tonight, she wondered as she involuntarily shook her head. "Yes. I don't know. I care about him." Her tears were flowing freely once again as she yanked her hand away and stood up. "I can't be with you anymore, Ezra. I'm sorry. I just can't."

Ezra watched her leave and realized that he was crying too. He could see in her eyes that she still loved him, that she wanted to love Jason and couldn't. He wanted her back, but he didn't know what to do. She had made up her mind to stay with Jason even though she couldn't love him. Ezra felt sorry for the guy, because it was obvious that he felt more for Aria than she did for him.

Aria returned home once more and this time decided she was staying home for the rest of the weekend. Her heart had been broken at least twice by two different people tonight, and she just didn't feel up to facing the world. All she wanted to do was sleep. And she did. Until she woke up an hour later. Then she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling and wondering how in the world her life had gotten so screwed up.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author note – This is an awkward chapter. I'm not particularly fond of it, but I felt like I had to put something in to show Aria's transition after her fight with Jason.**

Aria had made up her mind, and she felt like a hypocrite because of her decision. But, after torturing herself for an entire weekend, she had finally admitted that she could not ignore what her heart wanted. She had talked to both of her parents and all three of her best friends. She had even had chats with Toby and Mona, and they had all said the same thing. No matter what they said, she had to do what made her happy.

Jason was right. No matter how much she liked being with him, she wanted Ezra. Graduation was in two months. She could wait that long.

She had just left Jason's and she didn't think she'd ever be able to get his face out of her head. He had looked so sad, but he had understood. He had always known that her heart belonged to Ezra. He was just a moment in her life that she would always remember fondly. At least that's what he thought. Aria knew better. She had, and still did, care about him a lot. If it weren't for Ezra, she thought that she might have eventually fallen in love with him. But she wanted him to be happy and she couldn't do that. Simply because she wasn't happy, truly happy, without Ezra.

She had a smile on her face when she rang Maggie's doorbell and it didn't fade when the door opened and Maggie greeted her politely.

"Hi." Maggie said. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Aria realized that it was the first time in a long time that she had said the words and truly meant them as she stepped inside the apartment. "Is Malcolm ready?"

"He'll be out in a minute." Maggie said. "I've never seen him so excited about lunch. He really likes you."

Aria's smile widened. "I really like him too. He's a great kid."

"How's your friend? Spencer? She's the one that's pregnant, right?"

Aria nodded as Malcolm emerged from his room, looking every bit the seven-year-old he was in a pair of jeans and a Ninja Turtle t-shirt. "Yeah. She's doing really good. We're all doing really good actually."

"Good." Maggie said, smiling. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Hi Aria!" Malcolm said.

Aria was mildly surprised when he hugged her, but returned the hug. "Ready?"

"Yeah! Bye Mom."

Maggie waved as the two of them walked out the door.

"I have a question." Malcolm said later.

They were sitting at an outdoor table, eating hamburgers and fries. A gentle breeze was blowing as Aria dipped a fry in her ketchup. "I might have an answer."

"Do you love my dad?"

The question threw her off a little, but she answered. "Yes."

"So why aren't you dating him anymore?"

"It's complicated." She said. "I'm not really sure how to explain it."

"Oh. Okay."

His satisfaction with her answer amazed her. For some reason his simple acceptance put her at ease with her decision. Only two more months and she could be with the man she loved once more. She suddenly couldn't remember why she had let herself end it. She knew the reasons, but she had no idea why she had given in to them. They had been through much tougher situations that the addition of a child and his mother. She felt bad for basically leading Jason on, but at the same time she didn't regret the short time she had spent with him. It had shown her that she could care about someone other than Ezra, but she didn't want to. She hoped things between them wouldn't bee too awkward since he would certainly still be in her life. He was her best friend's brother after all, and Rosewood was a small town. She would certainly run into him now and then.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author note – This will be the last chapter. I may pick it up again, but right now I'm running out of ideas. But y'all have been so wonderful with all your comments and support. Thanks for reading! And yes, I did name the baby after my favorite Eric Clapton song :)**

She was a high school graduate. Aria couldn't help but smile as she stood with her friends after the ceremony. They were all still in their caps and gowns, though most of the shoes had come off already. She was amazed that they had all made it through high school with everything that had happened, and was still happening. A hadn't given up and they didn't have all their answers yet, but, right now, that didn't matter. What mattered was that they had all pretty much managed to hold it together and graduate.

Mona had tortured them for two years, and somehow they had managed to forgive her and accept her into their group. Spencer was seven months pregnant, but, with help from Toby and the rest of them, she was still smiling. All of it amazed her.

She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Ezra standing behind her. She smiled at him, still relieved every time she saw him that all he had was a scar on his shoulder where A had shot him. "I'm a graduate!" she said, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd around them.

Ezra smiled and hugged her, placing a kiss on her cheek. He was so happy that he could do that once more without having to worry about getting caught. He was happy he could do that once more because she had come back to him.

"I am _so_ proud of you." He said as Maggie, Malcolm, and Wes joined them.

Aria hadn't been expecting any of them to be there and greeted them with a surprised smile.

"Aria!" Malcolm called, wanting to gain her attention. "I got you a present."

"You did?" she replied as he produced a bouquet of partly crushed wildflowers from behind his back. They were tied together with a piece of baby blue yarn in a lopsided bow, and he looked very proud as he handed them to her.

She took the flowers and hugged the child. "Thank you so much, Malcolm. They're beautiful!"

"He insisted on bringing you something." Maggie said, smiling.

Aria returned the smile. "I love them."

She felt another hand on her shoulder and this time turned to see Jason. An awkward feeling tried to push her happiness to the side, but she wouldn't let it. "Hi."

"Hi." He said, glancing at Ezra for a split second before his eyes went back to Aria's. "Congratulations."

"Thanks."

After a moment Jason walked over to the others and Aria, Ezra, Maggie, and Malcolm followed. She was amazed that there didn't seem to be any tension between any of them as they all laughed and chatted. It was nice.

Eventually their families joined the group and Aria was the only one that noticed when Spencer grimaced and her hand went to her belly.

"Spencer?" Aria said, louder than she meant to. "Are you okay?"

Spencer started to nod and brush it off but the pain grew worse and she clutched Toby's arm as her knees weakened.

Now everyone's attention was on Spencer as they all realized what was happening. They baby was coming. Two months early.

Toby easily scooped her up and the whole group rushed to the hospital, every single one of them scared of what might happen.

Spencer was rushed to the emergency room and her friends and family filled the waiting room. Maggie took Malcolm home, deciding that they didn't really belong there, and no one seemed to notice they had left. Everyone was focused intently on Spencer and the baby.

Aria and Emily sat on either side of Toby, trying to assure him everything would be fine. It wasn't working very well because they couldn't convince themselves that everything would be fine. They were just as scared as he was.

Ezra sat with Ella, looking across at Toby flanked on either side by Aria and Emily. They three of them were practically clinging to each other. He wished Aria would cling to him, but he understood why she wasn't. Actually, he thought it was very sweet that she was trying to comfort Toby when she was just as upset and unsure as he was.

After a couple of very intense hours, which several of them spent pacing around the room, a doctor emerged. They all froze and waited to hear what he had to say, hoping against hope that both Spencer and the baby were okay. They breathed a collective sigh of relief when he confirmed that they were indeed okay. The girls, Toby, and Spencer's mom cried.

Aria left Toby's side and went to Ezra. She felt safe in his arms. Spencer and the baby would have to stay in the hospital for a while, but they would be okay.

Spencer was tired by the time the girl came in, but she wouldn't have turned them away if her life depended on it. Toby excused himself to give the four of them some privacy.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked.

"Lousy." Spencer replied honestly. "And tired."

"Do you want us to go so you can get some rest?" Hanna offered.

Spencer shook her head. "No. Please stay. All I could think while my family was in here was that I wanted to see you guys."

They were all quiet for a while, thinking about what could have happened and what didn't.

"Have you seen her yet?" Spencer asked. "She's in NICU."

Aria nodded. "Yeah. We saw her while we were waiting to come in and see you. She's beautiful."

Emily and Hanna agreed and Spencer smiled proudly, as any new mother would.

"What's her name?" Emily asked.

"Layla Marion." Spencer said.

"After Toby's mom." Hanna smiled. "Was that his idea?"

"Mine." Spencer pushed her hair away from her face. "We're getting married."

"When?" Aria asked.

"In a few months."

"Where are you going to live?" Hanna asked.

"In the barn while I'm in school at Hollis, and then we'll probably find our own place." She paused for a moment to look at her friends. They were three of the most important people in her life. No matter what they had stayed by her side. She loved them dearly. "Can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course." Aria said. "Anything."

"Will you be my maids of honor?"

"Yes." All three answered simultaneously, without having to think about it for a second.

With a smile, Spencer settled back against the pillows and closed her eyes. Even with A still at large and so many questions still unanswered, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world right now. And she felt safe.


End file.
